GSA Begins the Presidential Transition Process

Now that the conventions are over, the federal government and federal employees are focusing on the transition process for the outgoing Obama administration, and the new administration that will take over in January. As of August 1st, designated transition staff from the Clinton and Trump campaigns have moved into office space near the White House.

The General Services Administration (GSA), in addition to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), leads the coordination of sharing agency resources and briefing eligible candidates. GSA Press Secretary Ashley Nash-Hahn said in a GovExec interview that they are “taking into consideration best practices and lessons learned from previous transitions to deliver the best outcomes for the American people.”

After the election, the president-elect and vice president-elect will set up a base within GSA’s National Central Office, which GSA has said will “yield substantial cost savings,” especially during future presidential transitions.

"The peaceful transition of power is a hallmark of American democracy,” said Nash-Hahn. “GSA is honored to help ensure a smooth and orderly transition that both fulfills our duties, as laid out in the Presidential Transition Act, and delivers services in a cost-effective manner.”

Third-party candidates Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party have not yet qualified for transition assistance.

“As outlined in the statute, a non-party candidate would be recognized as an eligible candidate if that person meets constitutional requirements for eligibility for the office of the president, is on enough state ballots that the individual could be elected by the Electoral College and has demonstrated a significant level of support in national public opinion polls to be realistically considered among the principal contenders,” Nash-Hahn said. “The administrator may also consider whether other national organizations have recognized the candidate as being among the principal contenders for the general election, including whether the Commission on Presidential Debates has determined that the candidate is eligible to participate in the candidate debates for the general election.”

Nash-Hahn also noted, “This is only the second election in which GSA was authorized to provide any pre-election support to eligible candidates.”